I'm on my way to Billings, MT for a friend's wedding this weekend. Unfortunately I am not taking this one via road trip. The airline industry is getting me there...in their own sweet time. Apparently the bestest most possibly pleasant route from San Antonio to Billings is thru Phoenix AND Denver. With 3+ hour layovers in each city and a total airport to airport time of almost 16 hours. Just a few hours less than the drive time...hehe.
But isn't that just about normal?
If I seem tense, it's not so much the air travel as it is the PA system in the Denver airport. ALWAYS ANNOUNCING. And it isn't some pleasant, soothing voice. No. It's a shrill, mom's-going-to-ground-you type voice.
Mostly related: stand-by passenger "Swanson" needs to board his flight...or I might just go looking for him myself...
More related: I've been cleaning out my photos, and I found these relevant little photo snippets from a plexiglass case buried deep in the Air and Space Smithsonian in DC. It sounds like air travel used to be pleasant!
Didn't quite get into my tweeds or rough silks this morning. More like slip-off shoes and the jeans I don't have to wear a belt with. Actually, jeans are dressier than what I normally go with. A pamphlet today might also advise you to smile for your nekid picture at the security checkpoint.
Oh yeah. Great conversation with your seatmates.
"Hey, can you put your purse under your seat so there's more room in the overhead bin for real luggage?"
"You going to eat that bag of peanuts?"
"Mind if I close that window shade?"
"Pay no attention while I crawl over both of you to get to the lavatory. About at emergency status here."
All invigorating conversation starters. Also, try smoking on a flight...please? I dare you!
Yessss, sink right in to those deep-reclining chairs. A whole 2 inches! (that might be generous). The temperature is either Sahara hot or Hoth ice planet cold (usually both, intermittently throughout the flight). And I don't know about you, but I can't get all that comfortable on a plane. Either I wake up with my neck temporarily kinked to the side...or I wake up with my head accidentally resting on some random stranger's shoulder. (depending on how booked the flight is).
All the makings of sweet, peaceful shut-eye indeed.
Of course take the children! The flight attendants will love them and treat them like their own! As for myself, I will probably think they are super cute and make faces at them. But most likely I will give you sympathetic looks as they scream. First because their ears are hating them. And second because they are bored. Or their sippy-cup rolled to the back of the plane. Again though, the flight attendants take that all in stride.
Depends on your age. Younger Kyoo? Loved it!
Not on the plane! HA! Try one of the fine dining establishments at the airport. Where a McDonalds meal suddenly costs you $10. And a small bag of trail mix starts at $4. Unless, of course, you can survive solely on 1/2 cup of orange juice and 5 peanuts for the whole day. If you plead, they might give you 10 peanuts...but you'll also get Mr. Angry Eyes so just decide if it's worth it before-hand.
Isn't it funny how industries evolve? <--read: decline...decay...regress...
I don't really hate it. I'm still traveling and love everything about not being at work right now. Plus, the people-watching in airports is top-notch. And I have a whole 'nother hour to take it all in.
Ahhhhhh.
***************************** UPDATE *****************************
I missed my flight. So now I get to people-watch for an additional 4 hours. Best part? They listed the wrong gate. So while I was camped at one gate, my plane was departing from another. (i was not the only person this happened to!). Ever better part? I was told they paged me over that same annoying PA I'd been loathing for hours.
I still swear they didn't. And if they did, I'm a little disappointed I missed my moment of fame...
Have a great day :-)
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